1. Technical Field
The invention relates to merchandise display hooks, and particularly to a hook which is adapted to be mounted on a support surface such as a pegboard, by a straight-in direction enabling it to be installed and removed in confined places.
2. Background Information
Various types of merchandise display hooks have been developed for use with supporting structures such as a pegboard, slat-wall, wire grid, etc. having a plurality of spaced openings or supporting wires, in which one or more lugs on the hook are inserted for retaining one or more elongated rigid rods in a generally horizontal direction, in a cantilever manner, outwardly from the support structure. However, one problem that exists with such types of display hooks is that in order to install the hook in the support structure, the hook must be placed at a severe upward angle such as 45° or greater, for insertion of the attachment lugs into the openings of the support structure, afterwhich the hook is pivoted downwardly enabling the lugs to position themselves behind the support structure upon the elongated rods reaching a horizontal position. Removal of the display hook is accomplished in the reverse direction, again requiring the elongated rods to be pivoted upwardly in order to remove the attachment lugs from the support structure openings. This becomes a problem where there is a structure or other merchandise closely spaced above or below the intended location of the display hook. This prevents the display hook from being installed at the desired location since it requires a sufficient spacing beneath the other display hook, supported merchandise, adjacent shelf or other obstruction, for mounting of the new display hook spaced only a slight distance below the structure above.
Various types of display hooks have been developed in order to eliminate this problem by providing a straight-in type mounting arrangement for the display hook, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,351,440 and 5,769,373. Although the display hooks of these patents may provide a desired solution, the present invention accomplishes this result in a relatively simple, inexpensive and efficient manner. The hook of the present invention enables it to be mounted in the spaced openings of a support structure while the elongated rod or rods are maintained in a horizontal position requiring only the pivotal movement of the support lugs and slight vertical movement of the support hook along the face of the support structure for installing and removing the display hook.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved merchandise display hook which can be mounted in a straight-in fashion on a support structure such as a sheet of pegboard, slat-wall, wire grid etc. enabling the display hook to be used in a confined area amongst other display hooks or other obstructions since it avoids the need of placing the elongated rods of the display hook at an angle as heretofore required to secure the attachment lugs in the openings of the support structure.